Anurag Thakur takes over as BCCI president at the age of 41

Thakur was all set to be elected president of the BCCI after Shashank Manohar stepped down from the post to become the first independent chairman of the International Cricket Council

Anurag Thakur becomes the second-youngest president of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the age of 41. Thakur, who is also a BJP MP, has been elected unopposed as the new president. The youngest was Fateh Singh Gaekwad, who became the BCCI president in 1963 at the age of 33.

Thakur was all set to be elected president of the BCCI after Shashank Manohar stepped down from the post to become the first independent chairman of the International Cricket Council.

Thakur, who was the secretary of the Board has resigned from the post and got the signatures of all six east zone units in his BCCI presidential nomination form, as he completed the formalities in presence of former India captain and CAB president Sourav Ganguly.

The Maharashtra Cricket Association chief and business magnate Ajay Shirke expectedly filled in the Secretary’s post which was left vacant by Thakur’s resignation Saturday.

Senior BCCI vice-president CK Khanna chaired the Special General Meeting (SGM) and announced Thakur’s name for the top job.

Thakur takes over reins of the embattled Board in rather tough times as the BCCI is facing heat from the Supreme Court to implement the Justice RM Lodha Committee’s recommendations for sweeping reforms.

Thakur, incidentally, will go into the books as the first first-class cricketer to turn BCCI president after Raj Singh Dungarpur lay down office in 1998-99.

Although cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar had held the post jointly with another Test cricketer Shivlal Yadav briefly, specifically in charge of IPL affairs, that had been done at the direction of the Supreme Court which ordered then President N Srinivasan to step aside in the wake of the 2013 IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal.

Thakur has represented HP in a lone Ranji Trophy game as a right-hand batsman and off break bowler in 2000-11 season.

Being dedicated and focused on creating modern infrastructure in the small hill state, Thakur-administered Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association has developed five stadiums, including the world-class showpiece stadium in Dharamsala, and one cricket academy in the state capital.

Thakur is also the third person backed by East Zone to be elected to the top post during the 2016-1017 period.

Jagmohan Dalmiya, who was the consensus candidate after Srinivasan’s exit, died in office last year and Manohar took over in October, 2015.